Murder Suspect Enters Plea in Case

An unemployed ex-convict pleaded not guilty today to a murder charge for the fatal shooting of a man in front of a residence in East Oakland last month. Dante Rene Budd, a 26-year-old Oakland man, is charged in the shooting death of 30-year-old Ira Wright Jr. of Oakland in the 2700 block of 76th Avenue, a few blocks from the Eastmont Town Center, at 7:52 p.m. on Oct. 25.

Budd’s attorney asked for a speedy preliminary hearing in his case so Alameda County Superior Court Judge Paul Delucchi scheduled the hearing, which will determine if there’s enough evidence for him to stand trial, for Dec. 7. Budd, who was convicted of a felony forgery count in Santa Clara County in April 2014, is also charged with shooting at an inhabited dwelling.

Oakland police Officer Michael Valle wrote in a probable cause statement that witnesses identified Budd as the suspect who shot and killed Wright in the 2700 block of 76th Avenue. In addition, video surveillance shows Budd, who lives nearby in the 8100 block of Birch Street, walking to the scene prior to the shooting and then running away from the scene afterward, according to Valle.

Officers found a single gunshot hole in the front door of the residence in the 2700 block of 76th Avenue that traveled into the living room wall, Valle said. The residence was occupied by two adults and two children, he said. Budd, who is being held at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail, also faces possession of marijuana for sale and possession of a controlled substance for sale charges in a separate case.

--Bay City News